Arriving in Toulouse: the first week

Having finished my degree and preparing for the world of work, I've found myself feeling the need to relive my year abroad. This could be since I'm no longer holidaying and having fun every week, and I've had to grow accustomed to life at home again, so I've decided to turn my physical diary of all my year abroad shenanigans into a virtual one, in the hope that this will help future year abroaders.

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For anyone who's going to Toulouse or France, this might offer a bit of insight into what you should expect, what you should do as a new student and citizen, and what you should seek out. Toulouse is one of those places that has mountains of things for students to do, places to see, eat and tonnes of experiences.

Here's the lowdown of everything I got up to in my first week and my advice on what you should do when you first arrive!

I set out for my year abroad on the 15th September, flying from London Gatwick to Toulouse with one of my good friends from uni, completely unaware of what the both of us would be in-store for over the next few months.

Within a few hours of arriving, we'd gotten to know the rest of our uni friends who'd arrived with us on our flight, settled into our accommodation after handing in our wads of paperwork to the student accommodation services (expect to be asked for your parents' salaries, tax records, etc. ) and gotten a brief idea of what the city was like.

In the coming week, we got to know our university —L'université de Toulouse II Jean Jaurès— as well as the city and all its ins and outs. Toulouse is a great place to visit, so make sure your friends and family come and experience it. There's cinemas, shops, restaurants and bars galore, and lots of different areas to check out, which makes it a vibrant and lively place. Given that there are three universities, the student population is large and makes Toulouse feel like quite a young and fun place to live.

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When you first arrive, I'd advise getting your travel card (you'll need to bring proof of address, proof of ID and some other info —usually a student card or proof that you study in Toulouse) and then your Métro card will get you across all the buses and trams you'll ever need to take. After this, it might be a handy idea to get a phone contract. I decided against this, solely because I didn't think I'd need a French SIM (I didn't), and I didn't want to tied down to a contract in the case that there would be difficulties when I cancelled, which many students experienced. I ended up just paying extra on my current phone contract and that proved easier. Usually, when you want to set up a phone contract too, phone companies prefer you to have a French bank account, which takes ages to set up, not to mention the stress you're forced to endure in the process.

After doing all this stuff, it's a good idea to head to IKEA to set your accommodation up. Note to all, don't ever try to navigate your own route to the Ikea Toulousaine, it's pointless. Hop in a cab (it's 10 minutes and doesn't cost too much) and that's the best place to pick up all the things you need to make your house a home.

Following all this, get out into the city centre and have fun! When you first arrive, you really don't realise how daunting the experience is, and how surreal it feels to call another place, in a completely foreign country, your home. My advice would be to hit up Blind Tiger for bevs with your friends, then move onto Zoom (one of those clubs you end up in, rather than actually plan to go to), and then you'll truly feel like you're becoming a French student. It's a good idea to throw yourself wholeheartedly into the uni world —this will help to take your mind off any anxieties or doubts you may have.

Weekend plans? At the end of my first week, I went away with my Erasmus sociey to Lac de Saint-Ferréol, and if that's an option for you when you first arrive at your French uni, I'd say to seize it with both hands. It's such a good idea to go away and get to know lots of people in a new location, and helps you make bonds with people from the start. It's also lovely to have a holiday to detract your mind from all the craziness of relocating to a new country.

Want to know what happened in my second week, and more advice on getting started at your French uni? Read my second week diary!

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